Our thoughts are powerful. In our minds we can do anything. Making our dreams reality requires the power of believing they can happen. So many people see the glass half empty, but there's no hope in a pessimistic attitude. Life is all about possibility. I've always wanted to start a blog and I've wasted a lot of time thinking about it. But now, I've finally put my thoughts into action, simply, because I can ...

Monday, 4 January 2016

Change is inevitable

We tend to wait for the start of a new year to make new
resolutions because it symbolizes new beginnings. None of us ever wake up on a Tuesday or Wednesday (or any other day) of the month with the same feeling
for renewal. We feel about renewal on New Year's day exactly the same as we feel about ourselves on our birth date. Nothing compares to the feelings of
anticipated excitement (or uncertainty) on the days prior to that specific date
and the actual day of our birth. It’s magical. We feel empowered, special and
just so very, very significant on that day.

Sadly, none of our resolutions really last for more than a few days or
weeks into the new year. Our resolutions are metamorphic; what we initially
wanted to change and what eventually does change can be seen as a subtle
process – we hardly ever notice the transition. If our resolutions dissolve
within hours, days or weeks, we shouldn’t feel weak. It’s not a lack of
willpower that prevents our resolutions from materialising. The actual problem
is that we’re trying to bring about change incorrectly.

We can only initiate exterior change once we have made inner
changes. We need to change our pattern of thinking first before we can change
any habits or our lifestyle. If we want to change our mind, we need to get used
to the new perspective and this takes time. We cannot decide on the 28th
of December that we’re going to change from the first day of January.

Changing our mind is very complicated because we are constantly
bombarded with information and change, in our environment and the world. Very few
of us really like change. We tend to become comfortable with what we know and just
the thought of change brings a measure of anxiety and stress. Change requires
‘effort’ on our part to adapt. Because we are rigid in our thoughts, we first
shun the idea of change before we accept it. With the start of a new year, we
impulsively and excitedly think or say things without really understanding what
these changes will entail.

Change is inevitable. Each day of our life we experience some form
of change and, more often than not, we have absolutely no control over it. Any
change that we experience creates emotional fluctuations. Our emotions can be
likened to the desert landscape, which is prone to change when the
winds shift the dunes and form new sand formations. Any changes we
experience are emotionally challenging because all the fixed points that we
know seem to disappear, leaving us disoriented and insecure. Disorientation and
a lack of security bring fear. We become nostalgic about what we had,
especially when the change we experienced was radical. For example, the loss of
employment, divorce or death in the family can impact our lives dramatically. For
many of us it becomes difficult to let go. And if we don’t let go, it becomes
difficult to move forward.

In the midst of change, we have to find our own unique way towards
a new ‘comfort zone’. Everyone experiences change differently, and, in our
attempts to cope and move forward to betterment and safety, we find ourselves
on a solo journey. The key to success on this journey is to make sure that we
connect with someone we can trust. While we travel alone, experiencing life in
our own unique way, we still need to share our experiences, and discuss our
thoughts, emotions and self-revelations so that we don’t end up repressing
them.

Life is unpredictable. We cannot understand, own or control it. The only
thing we can do is strengthen our mind and our heart. We can gain knowledge of
the world and everything in it. We can read about other people and their
experiences. We are not the first people ever to experience change. Many people
before us have suffered loss, pain and trauma, and many people after us will
suffer the same. We can look at their stories and coping strategies, and through
this become aware of what life can throw at us. We can imitate their attitudes
or strategies, but in the end, we need to do what must be done to survive the
onslaught of life happening to us and around us.

Most importantly, we need to remind ourselves constantly that nothing
ever stays the same. We must anticipate change. We need to be aware of change
so that every time something does change, we will focus on becoming more resilient.

No comments:

Post a Comment

About Me

I am a high school teacher. I teach English as a first and second language in a small town in Limpopo, South Africa. I am married and have two children. I've written four books.
1) Pop-In Jay Pomp (children)
2) Mareijke's Courage (adventure romance)
3) The 6th Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Kill (murder mystery)
4) The Power is Yours (teen motivation).
My motto in life is: You are what you constantly think. I live by these words. The thoughts in a person's mind are powerful: they can create, motivate, encourage, disillusion and destroy. The art of thinking lies in the power of a positive attitude. This is the true weapon to success.